Giants' Eli Apple: Patriots have 'refs on their side'

Giants' Eli Apple: Patriots have 'refs on their side'

The New England Patriots defeated the Tennessee Titans 35-14 to advance to the AFC Championship on Saturday night, and although the game was relatively lopsided from the onset, there were several head-scratching instances where officials seemed to favor the Pats.

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Early in the game, the Titans forced New England to punt deep in its own territory. It was a stop that kept Tennessee in the game, was poised to give it solid field position and, potentially, set it up for a score.

On the punt, however, a flag was thrown. Initially, it was called a false start on the Patriots, but after a brief meeting by the referees, they changed the penalty to encroachment.

Replays clearly show a false start lured a Titans defender into the neutral zone, so the call was right initially but changed. It gave the Patriots a first down and the momentum back and ultimately led to a touchdown.

Even CBS analyst Tony Romo struggled with the call and several others on that drive and throughout the night.

The same can be said for New York Giants cornerback Eli Apple, who pulled no punches on Twitter.